my sister's husband

chapter four

The next day ,I heard the doorbell ring, and Mom answered it with a cheerful "Hello!" I took a deep breath, grabbed my bags, and headed to the living room.

That's when I saw him.

Alex.

Standing in our living room, smiling at Emily, looking... good. Too good.

My heart betrayed me, beating faster like it was trying to escape my chest. I froze for a split second, hoping no one noticed.

Emily squealed, "Hey, sis!" and rushed to hug me. "We missed you!"

Alex turned, locked eyes with me, and smiled warmly. "Hey." Like everything was normal.

I managed a weak smile, trying to play it cool. "Hey."

The drive to their place was... weird. Emily chatted happily about their house, work, and plans for me. Alex chimed in occasionally, like he was trying to be friendly-but-not-too-friendly. I nodded along, answering with grunts and half-smiles.

As we pulled into their driveway, Emily turned back, bubbling, "We're so excited to have you! We've got a room all set up for you."

I forced enthusiasm. "Thanks, Em. It'll be great."

The moment I stepped into the house, reality hit: I'm living here. With them. For how long?

Alex excused himself to grab my bags. Emily showed me to my room – comfy, with a view of the garden.

As we settled, Emily asked, "So, wanna catch up? Dinner's in an hour."

I smiled at Emily, "Yeah, I'd love to catch up, but I'd actually like to unpack and freshen up first. Can I take like 30 minutes?"

Emily nodded understandingly. "Totally, take your time. We'll catch up later."

As she left, I let out a quiet breath and began unpacking. The room was comfy, with a big wardrobe and a soft bed. I put away my stuff, trying to process the weirdness swirling in my head.

A few minutes later, I heard the sound of Alex moving around in the kitchen. My heart did that annoying flutter thing again. _Sigh_ Why was I still reacting like this?

I splashed some water on my face, told myself to adult-up, and headed downstairs.

As I entered the kitchen, Alex was cooking. Smells like garlic and chicken. Emily was setting the table.

"Need help with anything?" I asked, hovering.

Alex glanced up. "Nah, we're good. Just chill."

We sat down to dinner – Emily talked about work, Alex asked about mine, and I tried to keep up with the small talk. It was... manageable.

After dinner, Emily suggested a movie night. Alex excused himself to "finish some work stuff."

As we picked a rom-com, I couldn't help but think... how's this gonna play out?

We settled into the couch, blankets and snacks ready, and started the movie. Emily chatted about how much she'd missed rom-coms and how this one was her favorite. I laughed along, playing the part of the attentive sister.

As the movie played, I couldn't help but sneak glances at Alex, who'd joined us, sitting on the other side of Emily. He seemed engrossed in the movie, occasionally chuckling at the funny parts. I wondered what he was thinking, if he was as uncomfortable as I was.

The movie ended, and Emily jumped up to get more snacks. Alex got up too, stretching. "I'll help Em."

Left alone for a moment, I took a deep breath. So far, so... weirdly normal?

Emily and Alex came back, laughing about something in the kitchen. We chatted some more, and around 10 pm, Emily yawned. "Time for bed, I think."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, early start tomorrow."

We said goodnights. As I headed to my room, Alex was locking up. Our eyes met briefly. He smiled softly. "Night."

My heart did that thing again. _Sigh_

In bed, replaying the evening, I thought... maybe this won't be as awful as I thought?

I decided to try and get some sleep, hoping tomorrow would bring some clarity. I settled into the comfy bed, closed my eyes, and focused on breathing.

The house creaked a bit – normal sounds, nothing weird. I drifted off thinking maybe this stay wouldn't be a total disaster...

The next morning, I woke to the smell of coffee and breakfast. Mmm. Downstairs, Emily was bustling in the kitchen. "Morning! Sleep okay?"

I agreed, grabbing toast. "Yeah, super comfy."

Alex came in, greeted me casually. "Morning." Like we'd seen each other five minutes ago.

Breakfast was easy – Emily dominated the conversation talking about plans for me ("spa day! shopping!"). Alex listened, smiled, chimed in occasionally.

As we finished, Alex said, "I'll be out for work stuff. See you guys later."

Left with Emily, she grinned. "So... spa day?"

I took a deep breath and tried to play it cool. "Hey Em, before we head out, can I ask you something?"

Emily looked curious, "What's up?"

I hesitated for a moment, trying to phrase it casually. "How's... everything with Alex? You guys seem... good."

Emily smiled, a warm and genuine smile. "Yeah, we're really happy, sis. Alex is... he's changed a lot. He's been great."

I nodded, trying to keep my expression neutral. "That's... good. I'm glad."but I wasn't really happy about it and I couldn't help but wonder... had Alex really moved on? And what about me?

We spent the day lounging at the spa, getting pampered and trying to relax. Emily was in her element, chatting nonstop about everything from work to her favorite TV shows. I nodded along, forcing smiles and trying to look interested, but my mind kept wandering back to Alex.

As we were leaving, Emily insisted on grabbing lunch at this trendy new cafe. I picked at my salad, feeling like I was stuck in some kind of emotional limbo.

When we got back to the house, Emily excused herself to take a nap, leaving me alone in the living room. I heard Alex come in from work, his voice calling out a greeting.

I waited until he came into the living room, laptop bag slung over his shoulder. "Hey," he said, looking up at me with a hint of a smile.

I stood up, trying to look calm. "Hey. Can we talk?"

Alex's expression turned serious, and he set his bag down. "Sure. What's up?"

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest. "I want to know... do you still have feelings for me?"

The room fell silent. Alex's eyes locked onto mine, his gaze intense. For a moment, he just looked at me, like he was searching for something.

"I still love you," he said, his voice low and raw. "I never stopped."

The words hit me like a tidal wave, leaving me breathless. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, my mind reeling with shock and confusion.

Emily's words echoed in my head – "we're really happy" – but his eyes told a different story. My own feelings swirled in response, messy and terrifying.

Alex took a step closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know I'm married to your sister. I know it's complicated. But... Its you I want."

I felt like I was drowning in the intensity of his gaze, unsure what to say or do. Part of me wanted to scream, part of me wanted to run, and part of me... part of me wanted him to wrap his arms around me and say everything would be okay.

I turned and walked away, trying to process the bomb he'd just dropped. "Forget it," I muttered, not looking back.

Alex called out, "Wait!" but I kept going, heading straight to my room. I locked the door behind me and leaned against it, breathing hard.

My mind was a mess – shock, confus

ion, a hint of... what? Attraction? Fear? Guilt?

I slid down to the floor, trying to catch my breath .

What just happened?

I stayed there, frozen, trying to make sense of it all.